Fisher Named 2018 ACC Volleyball Coach of the Year

GREENSBORO, N.C. – For the second consecutive season, Pitt's Dan Fisher was named ACC Volleyball Coach of the Year, as announced by the league office Monday.

Additionally, four Panthers landed on the All-ACC first team, including sophomore outside Kayla Lund, junior right side Nika Markovic, junior middle hitter Layne Van Buskirk and redshirt junior outside Stephanie Williams. Van Buskirk was one of just two unanimous selections to the first team, including Santita Ebangwese of Syracuse.

The honors are the first for Lund and Van Buskirk, while Markovic earns her second nod (2017) and Williams earns her third (2016, 2017).

"Congratulations to these young women," Fisher said. "They are all well deserving on the court, in addition to being great representatives of our University and the conference as a whole."

In his sixth year at the helm, Fisher has guided the Panthers to back-to-back ACC Championships (2017, 2018) as well as three consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances (2016, 2017, 2018). Pitt has completed the last five years ranked in the NCAA Volleyball RPI Top 50, and has earned five consecutive 20-win seasons. Over six seasons, Fisher owns a 147-46 (.762) overall record with the Panthers and an 87-29 (.750) record in the ACC.

This season, the Panthers earned their highest regular season winning percentage in program history (.967, 29-1) in addition to their highest ACC season winning percentage (.944, 17-1). Pitt finished the regular season with an 18-0 record at home, marking its third unbeaten home regular season in program history (1987, 16-0; 1975, 13-0).

A three-time ACC Player of the Week this season, Lund leads the Panthers with 3.60 kills per set from the outside while contributing 2.64 digs per set. The Pasadena, Calif., native has posted a team-high 38 service aces, ranking second in the ACC.

"Kayla has been a big part of our success this year," Fisher said. "She is someone who has played her best volleyball when we play the best teams in the league."

Averaging 3.54 kills, 1.97 digs and 0.87 blocks per set, Markovic is one of the Panthers' most prolific weapons. The Braslovce, Slovenia, native earned ACC Player of the Week honors (Oct. 8) and has led Pitt in kills in 11 matches, including the final three of the regular season.

"We rely on Nika so much offensively," Fisher said. "What stands out about her is her consistency. No matter how the game's going or what block she's facing, she finds a way to score."

Van Buskirk ranks fifth in the nation with a .412 hitting percentage, making her one of the most efficient attackers in the NCAA. The Windsor, Ontario, native contributes 2.82 kills and a team-high 1.43 blocks per set. She earned ACC Player of the Week honors for the week of Nov. 19.

"Layne has turned the corner this year from being a talented player to being one of the best middles in the league," Fisher said. "She's dominant in front of the setter, behind the setter and with her block at the net."

A team-leading three-time member of the All-ACC first team, Williams contributes in all six rotations for the Panthers. The Eastlake, Ohio, native posts 2.59 kills, 1.99 kills, 0.65 blocks and 0.27 service aces per set. She earned ACC Co-Player of the Week honors for the week of Oct. 22.

"Stephanie has been a warrior this year, fighting through injuries in the early season and still managing to put up really good numbers throughout the year," Fisher said. "She's an all-around player who helps us in all phases of the game."

2018 ACC VOLLEYBALL INDIVIDUAL AWARDS
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Payton Caffrey, Jr., OH, Florida State

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Ryann DeJarld, Sr., L, Notre Dame

SETTER OF THE YEAR
Wilma Rivera, Sr., S, Louisville

FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
Polina Shemanova, OH, Syracuse

COACH OF THE YEAR
Dan Fisher, Pitt

FIRST TEAM ALL-ACC
Leah Meyer***, Jr., MB, Duke
Andie Shelton, Gr., S, Duke
Payton Caffrey, Jr., OH, Florida State
Taryn Knuth**, So., MB, Florida State
Wilma Rivera**, Sr., S, Louisville
Melanie McHenry**, Jr., OH, Louisville
Molly Sauer****, Sr., L, Louisville
Haley Templeton****, Sr., S, Miami
Layne Van Buskirk^**, Jr., MH, Pitt
Nika Markovic***, Jr., RS, Pitt
Kayla Lund**, So., OH, Pitt
Stephanie Williams***, Jr., OH, Pitt
Santita Ebangwese^***, Sr., MB, Syracuse
Polina Shemanova, Fr., OH, Syracuse

SECOND TEAM ALL-ACC
Brooke Bailey, So., OH, Clemson
Kelsey Wicinski, Sr., L, Florida State
Mikaila Dowd, Fr., OH, Georgia Tech
Elizaveta Lukianova, So., OH, Miami
Kylie Pickrell**, Sr., S, NC State
Teni Sopitan, Sr., OH, NC State
Melissa Evans**, So., RS, NC State
Ryann DeJarld***, Sr., L, Notre Dame
Charley Niego, Fr., OH, Notre Dame
Sydney Bent, Fr., OH, Notre Dame
Zoe Nunez, Fr., S, Notre Dame
Jemma Yeadon***, Jr., OH, Notre Dame
Amber Witherspoon, Sr., MB, Syracuse
Jaila Tolbert***, Sr., RS, Virginia Tech

ALL-FRESHMEN TEAM
Gabby Easton, S, Clemson
Solei Thomas, RS, Clemson
Ade Owokoniran, OH, Duke
Mikaila Dowd, OH, Georgia Tech
Mariana Brambilla, OH, Georgia Tech
Zoe Nunez, S, Notre Dame
Charley Niego, OH, Notre Dame
Sydney Bent, OH, Notre Dame
Polina Shemanova, OH, Syracuse

^denotes unanimous selection
*denotes number of All-ACC honors

UP NEXT

As a 12 seed in the 2018 NCAA Volleyball Tournament, the Panthers (29-1) will host Iona (20-7) Friday at 7 p.m. at Petersen Events Center to open the First Round.
To purchase tickets for the opening rounds, visit PittsburghPanthers.com or call the Panthers' Ticket Office at 800-643-7488.

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Fisher Named 2018 ACC Volleyball Coach of the Year

Players Mentioned

Kayla Lund

Nika Markovic

Layne Van Buskirk

Stephanie Williams

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